Over a hundred years after the first brewery opened in Florida, Cigar City Brewing was born in 2009, and in seven short years, it has grown to become the largest craft brewery in the state and one of the most recognizable and highly rated in the nation.For craft beer lovers, visiting the brewery in Tampa is nothing less than a religious pilgrimage. Sampling new creations that may never appear beyond the tasting room doors and the chance of purchasing limited release bottles draws crowds nearly every day of the week. And really…who can blame them? Since the tasting room opened (and expanded in 2012), Cigar City has poured some of the most interesting and innovative craft brews ever imagined. From Cucumber Saison to the now epic Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout, the beer coming from the tasting room taps challenges every notion of what craft beer is and what it can be.

For us, having Cigar City Brewing on board for World Food Championships is the icing on the cake. We first met Cigar City at a small craft beer festival/charity event in 2010, when they had two taps and a folding table, and it changed everything I thought I knew about beer. Beer with personality. Beer that actually tasted like coffee. Beer inspired by the tastes and history of Tampa. Yes, we were hooked.

Since that beer festival in 2010, we’ve become quite knowledgeable of craft beer and its potential, and being able to share Cigar City Brewing with the competitors, the crews, the audiences, and our friends at World Food Championships is an awesome opportunity.

For the Craft Beer in Desserts Showcase, Cigar City has challenged us to create autumn inspired dessert with Good Gourd, their award winning 9.6% abv Imperial Pumpkin Ale spiced with Ceylon cinnamon, Jamaican all-spice, Zanzibar cloves and nutmeg. With all those flavors, creating a fall-themed dessert will be easy!

Those attending our Craft Beer in Desserts Showcase will enjoy samples of the dessert, as well as tastings of the beer that went into creating the dessert. Join us on November 12 at the Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama!